Two weeks ago, we reported on two local schools’ concerns over a district proposal to save money by cutting school-bus service. Seattle Public Schools says it would save $740,000 – chipping away at a projected $48 million shortfall next year – by dropping service to “option schools.” West Seattle has two – Louisa Boren STEM K-8 in Delridge and Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point. The cuts would affect thousands of students district-wide, according to an SPS breakdown in this budget update on the district website. In an FAQ included in that update, the district responds to the question “How can families make informed [enrollment] decisions if they don’t know if transportation will be provided to option schools?” by saying that the enrollment period has been extended to February 26th. The budget isn’t finalized until summer, but one event of note will happen before that deadline – the School Board is having a “work session” at 4:30 pm Tuesday, February 23rd, focused on transportation. The agenda’s not available yet, but work sessions don’t usually include public comment, and a chance to have a say is what local families have been pushing for – both have online petition drives going, Pathfinder here and Boren STEM here.
ADDED: Two School Board members, including West Seattle/South Park rep Leslie Harris, are having an online community meeting about this at 3 pm Saturday (February 13th) – register here ASAP for attendance info.
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